Toby’s review published on Letterboxd:
"At this moment, I didn't feel shame or fear, but just kind of blah, like when you're sitting there and all the water's run out of the bathtub." - Holly Sargis
Badlands was Terrence Malick's first film, although looking back at it now you would never know it. It's a rare gift for a director to have such a distinctive vision right off the bat, but watching this you know that no one other than Malick could have been behind the wheel of it.
Set against a juxtaposition of suburbia and the wild; Terrence Malick's Badlands is a beautifully constructed, yet raw story about two young lovers on the run. The charmingly timid performances from both Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek serve to drawn us in to the wide-eyed curiosity of Kit and Holly as they explore their Eden and ultimately their fall.
Though it's structure, visuals, and techniques are revolutionary, it's bare surface has much more to give. The haunting performances and the subconscious, perfectly-paced journey to hell are two giant contributions to it's claim as a masterpiece.
Malick uses a serene beauty contrasted against scenes of thoughtless violence to create a undeniably poignant piece of cinema.
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